War Hero
 

Thomas Sydney Horn was born in Amble in 1899 and lived in Oswald Street, Amble with his parents, James (a master mariner) and Christiana, and siblings.
Thomas received his master's ticket for foreign going steamships in 1924. By 1934 he was master of the Norman Star and by 1938, the Sydney Star, operating out of Australia.
In 1941 the ship was carrying troops and ammunition in convoy to Malta when it was attacked, shelled, torpedoed and badly damaged. A destroyer came alongside and transferred the 484 officers and men and a number of the crew. Captain Horn refused to abandon ship, determined to make port in Malta. The following morning the ship was again attacked by torpedo planes and Stukas which the crew fought off. The ship reached Malta. Captain Horn was awarded the OBE as he belonged to the Merchant Marine. The commander of the destroyer received the DSO.
The episode led to a debate in the House of Commons about the treatment of merchant seamen who were regarded as civilians and therefore safe in conflict. The admiral of the Fleet thought this a false idea and that merchant seamen should be regarded as fighting men.

It looks like an omission in the decorations system not having something specific for merchant navy gallantry in wartime. There are a number of awards for saving life at sea, but nothing specific for MN gallantry in the face of the enemy. OBEs and MBEs where what was dished out instead I believe. There was (still is) the George Cross, but I think it was for gallantry not in the face of the enemy so they could not get that either.

They are the neglected '4th service' so I guess being ignored for a specific gallantry decoration is to be expected.

I don't think the CWGC even bother to list merchant navy accidental deaths in wartime for the merchant navy, but they do for the armed forces. I had a WW1 MN medal pair recently, the merchant navy recipient was killed when his ship was in a collision with an American warship. Not listed. If the ship had been carrying army personnel and they had been killed then they would be recorded by CWGC, but not the merchant navy sailors. Bizarre.

It is very strange. Aren't CWGC putting civilian war dead on to the site. If so makes it even more bizarre.